The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for separating loose shreds of tobacco and large and small trash from rejected cigarettes. In the normal course of manufacturing, typically there are cigarettes that do not meet desired standards for product quality. For example, in some cigarettes, the wrapping paper might not be wrapped to a desireable level of firmness or there may be more or less tobacco than the desired amount, and hence those are not acceptable as consumer products. Monitoring of the manufacturing processes can result in large numbers of completely or partially manufactured cigarettes being rejected as unacceptable for these and other reasons. Rejected cigarettes typically are collected and removed from manufacturing areas so that cigarettes below the desired quality standards are not packaged, shipped or sold.
In cigarette manufacturing operations, rejected cigarettes can comprise as much as 5% of the total number of cigarettes manufactured. Therefore, a sizeable amount of tobacco (an expensive commodity) must be destroyed unless the tobacco contained in the rejected cigarettes can be reclaimed. Reclaiming the tobacco requires that the tobacco be separated from other rejected cigarette constituents such as wrapping paper, filter plugs, filter plug wrap and cigarette cartons and other packaging materials. Large and small trash, such as chewing gum wrapping paper, pencils, tools, bolts, loose wrapper paper, loose filters, loose cartons and other packaging materials and other miscellaneous trash, may also become intermingled with rejected cigarettes from the cigarette manufacturing operations. Reclaiming tobacco therefore additionally requires separating the rejected cigarettes from a mixture also comprising large and small trash. Loose tobacco shreds, either from the rejected cigarettes themselves or other sources, also typically become intermingled with the rejected cigarette mixture.
It is known to separate trash from rejected cigarettes using various apparatus such as conventional wire mesh screens. It is also known to use a separation system having parallel vertical plates, generally of the same height, such as Model No. BFQ1100 made by Franz Sagemuler GMBH, Nordstr. 30 D-2935, Bockhorn, Germany. The vertical plates are arranged such that the top surface of each is at the same level, except that every fifth plate is elevated. In the Sagemuler system, loose tobacco shreds are screened out before the rejected cigarette mixture enters the vertical plate system. Large trash falls off the end and is collected in a container. Its typical maximum capacity is 2500 lbs. of mixture/hr. Operation of the Sagemuler system at higher speeds tends to result in cigarettes being lost due to overloading.